


"I've always wanted a pet."

by InTooManyFandomsRay



Series: 50 DAYS DIALOGUE PROMPTS [8]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Aithusa is adorable baby, Aithusa is cutie, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempt at Humor, Awesome Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Awesome Morgana (Merlin), Canon Era, Crack, Dragons, Everybody loves her, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Good Morgana (Merlin), Humor, Merlin is a Little Shit, OOC Uther Pendragon, Oblivious Merlin (Merlin), Out of Character, POV Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Pining Arthur, Protective Knights (Merlin), Protective Merlin, Uther Pendragon's A+ Parenting (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:28:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29181036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InTooManyFandomsRay/pseuds/InTooManyFandomsRay
Summary: Merlin adopts a baby dragon and convinces everyone that it's a bird. Meanwhile, Arthur is sure that the universe holds a grudge against him, and Uther just gives up on questioning everything.
Relationships: Aithusa & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Aithusa & Merlin (Merlin), Aithusa & Morgana (Merlin), Aithusa & Uther, Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: 50 DAYS DIALOGUE PROMPTS [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2129253
Comments: 11
Kudos: 258





	"I've always wanted a pet."

**Author's Note:**

> Still not a clue where I was going with this, but it's very OOC and very fun to write.

If Arthur thought his life couldn’t get weirder, he was clearly, dearly, mistaken. The Triple Goddesses seemed to be mocking him and his pathetic life.

His chambers were a mess – the table was scorched, his bedsheets were ripped, there was water all over the floor, and his clothes were lying haphazardly everywhere. That wasn’t even the main problem.

No, the main problem was that Merlin, his absolute dumb, adorable, stupid, manservant was petting a small, equally adorable, white dragon, which was perched on a chair and looking suspiciously proud of the mess it obviously made.

Said manservant and dragon were clearly lost in the moment and didn’t notice Arthur walking in. So they clearly missed Arthur boiling in rage, and confusion, and more rage. So Arthur cleared his throat and Merlin jumped, eyes as wide as saucers, and the lizard from hell gave a snort of smoke, uninterested.

“Arthur! I can explain this!” Merlin shot to his feet, flailing.

Arthur crossed his arms, “Then explain.”

Merlin stared at him, mouth opening and closing, visibly struggling to find a good excuse. And then he came up with one so unbelievable, Arthur questioned his manservant’s sanity.

“I got you a pet,” he said, head bobbing, trying to convince Arthur.

“I don’t want a pet.”

“Then I’ll keep her. I’ve always wanted a pet.”

“Merlin, you can’t keep it as a pet.”

Merlin puffed defiantly, crossing his arms. “Why not? She’s cute.”

“Because it’s a fucking dragon!” Arthur spluttered, clearly at a loss for words. Merlin gave a nervous laugh, his hands in his hair.

“No, it’s not a dragon.”

“Then pray, tell me what it is, Merlin,” Arthur said, daring Merlin to try to come out of this.

“It’s a….” Merlin trailed off, looking at the tiny white ball of fire and then at Arthur. “bird!”

“A bird?” Arthur confirmed, raising an eyebrow. He was beginning to suspect that Merlin had lost the single brain cell he had.

“Yes, a bird.” Merlin was now nodding ferociously, as though trying to convince himself more than Arthur. The ‘bird’ flapped its wings and sneezed, scorching the chair a little.

“Merlin, it just breathed fire.”

Merlin paused, before nodding, “Yes, it did. It’s a very special species of bird.” He pointed a finger at the prince.

Arthur pinched his nose, trying to collect himself before he lost his temper. No matter how adorable Merlin could be, this was just taking it too far.

“Are you really going to stick with that?”

Merlin continued nodding, “Yes. Yes, I am.”

“I’m too tired for this,” Arthur sighed. “I’m going to walk out now, and when I come back, my chambers will be _clean_ and _tidy,_ and neither your ‘bird’ nor you will be here.”

He walked out, shaking his head. He’d deal with this later.

\---

Arthur was training with the knights when he saw the dragon again. Judging by the eloquent scream of his very _brave_ knights, they had seen it too.

He was holding them back, trying to protect the little lizard, because as much as he wanted to kick it out of his kingdom, he did not want an angry servant strangling him in the middle of the night. This was the right course of action because Merlin had run towards the chaos and picked up the dragon, making cooing sounds.

“You scared her!” he glared at them, still petting the thing.

“We scared her? She’s a dragon!” Elyan spluttered, fumbling with his sword in his shaking hands.

“How dare you, Sir Elyan,” Merlin mocked indignation, placing it on his shoulders, “she’s a very beautiful bird, thank you very much.”

The knights had now stopped trying to scramble away from the creature and/or kill it and were now peering at it with curiosity in their eyes. The dragon was curling upon his shoulders now, peacefully asleep. Arthur had to admit, it did not look like it wanted to raze the city to the ground.

“A bird?” Lancelot asked Merlin, his confused demeanor fading to a slightly concerned one.

Leon was shifting from his left feet to right, uncertain of how to proceed. “It’s a bloody dragon you have there, Merlin.”

Merlin gave a dignified squawk of protest, his hands on the dragon protectively.

“ _Her_ name is Aithusa, and she’s a very nice bird,” he snarled, and turned on his heel, storming away. The knights looked at Arthur, who shrugged, indifferent.

“Sire, forgive my choice of words, but, _what the actual fuck?_ ” Leon asked, gaping at him.

“I tried to talk to him!” Arthur exclaimed. He had tried to talk to his clumsy oaf of a servant, but Merlin had clearly, finally, lost it. And Arthur had no clue how to protect him or Aithusa.

\---

Morgana and Arthur were hunting, along with Gwen and Merlin, when Aithusa made another appearance.

Arthur was startled and caught unawares, again. He panicked and fell off his horse, making everyone laugh at him. He scowled, dusting off the dust and leaves from his hair, and when he looked up, he saw them playing with Aithusa.

'Of course,' he thought, 'now they’ll tell me how cute the ‘bird’ is.'

“Arthur, come look at how cute Aithusa is!” Morgana exclaimed, holding the dragon in her palms while Guinevere fed it berries. Could dragons eat berries? Were they supposed to eat berries? Arthur shook his head. He did _not_ want to know. This was just getting insulting.

“I’d really rather not,” he stated dryly and got up on his horse. “I’m heading back to Camelot, away from the fire breathing bird, and towards to safety of my now fire-proof bed.”

The others guffawed at his back as he kept to his word, riding back to Camelot, and to his chambers. He’d finally acknowledge Aithusa one day, but today was not that day yet.

\---

Arthur was strolling down through the lower town, helping wherever he could, when Aithusa swooped down to him and blinked at him with big eyes. That sudden movement had him scrambling for his sword as she gave tiny squeaks of surprise.

“Sire! You can’t kill her!” one of the citizens exclaimed, running towards Aithusa and standing in between them.

“What?” Arthur blinked.

“She’s just an innocent bird!” Another one yelled from somewhere in the now growing crowd. Before Arthur could reply that he did not intend to harm a single scale on the baby dragon's body, Merlin’s unmistakable cry sounded, and the crowd parted like the ocean to let him through. “Aithusa!”

When Merlin finally stood in front of him, he noticed the sword held in Arthur’s hands and proceeded to fume.

“Really, Arthur, sire, she’s so tiny, I’m just teaching her to fly. You wouldn’t hurt a baby bird, would you? I really thought you were better than this. Did you have your breakfast this morning, sire? Because Aithusa is _not_ food, and certainly not a hunt,” he went off on Arthur, hands on the hips, scolding him like he was a child. He hated Merlin so much at that moment, and he hated it that he did not hate him even a little bit.

Arthur spluttered for a moment, before giving up entirely, and walked away. Merlin was too endearing for his own good, and Arthur didn't want to admit it just yet but Aithusa was growing on him too.

\---

The feast was in full swing, as Uther drank to his son’s and his own health, and to the ‘prosperity’ of Camelot. Arthur was engaging in a very interesting conversation about ‘poetry’ with Gwaine when he heard a scream.

His first assumption was that a Lady was in danger. Quickly, it became clear that it wasn’t a Lady that needed saving but his own father, who now stood on top of the table, sword brandished, pointing at something, or _someone_ on the floor.

Of course, it was Aithusa. Why would Arthur even doubt that anymore, he didn’t know.

The difference was, no guards were rushing towards the baby dragon, and no nobles were cowering in fear either. It was only Uther who was trying and failing at running away from the little, cute, devil.

“Guards! Kill that dragon!” he yelled, his eyes not leaving Aithusa. Arthur stayed still, and so did everyone else. Everyone just looked at each other, waiting for the protector to arrive and sort it out.

On cue, Merlin sauntered towards Aithusa, and gathered her in his arms, cradling her. He narrowed his eyes towards Uther as if daring him to say something.

Let it never be said that Uther turned down any dares.

“Kill that thing, boy!” he snarled, still at a safe distance from Aithusa.

“It’s a harmless bird, my lord,” Merlin explained, hostility still in his eyes. It was Uther’s turn to splutter, and he looked around the room.

“Everybody can see it’s a dragon! I’ll have you executed for trying to protect it!”

“My lord,” Leon stepped forward, his eyes darting between his friend and his King. “You’re mistaken. It’s clearly a bird.”

“Are you blind, Sir Leon? It has white scales! It’s breathing fire! Gaius, back me up on this!”

Gaius stepped forward, his deathly eyebrow raised, “Sire, if I may, it is a common mistake to make. Gondra birds are known for their special skills, which include fire breathing properties. And they shed their feathers in winter, which helps you see its white scales.”

“It’s midsummer, Gaius.”

“No, I'm afraid it’s not, my lord”

Uther gaped, realizing no one would come to his rescue. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Arthur and waved towards him. “Arthur, my son, you’ll tell them that I’m right.”

Arthur hesitated, looking at Merlin. His manservant was doing that _thing_ with his big, blue eyes, and _pouting_ and Arthur felt his resolve melt. After all, Aithusa had done no harm, and she was just a baby. He had to admit that she was almost as adorable as Merlin was.

“Father, it’s my pet bird. I don’t know what you’re raving about.”

Merlin shot him a relieved smile. Arthur was going to have to teach him about subtlety one day.

“It’s a dragon, and you’re all enchanted to think otherwise!” Uther roared, stepping forward. Immediately, the guards came between the King and Aithusa, challenging him.

“She’s not a dragon, Uther,” Morgana smirked, nose held high. “Perhaps old age is finally catching up to you. It’s clearly-”

“Don’t say it!”

“Aithusa, go,” Merlin nudged the baby out the door in the commotion, and Arthur walked to him. Aithusa bounded out the door, and the distant sound of a door closing echoed through the room. Uther was still glaring daggers at Morgana, who not surprisingly, held her ground.

“Where did you send her?” Arthur asked Merlin, who shrugged. “The closet.”

Someone snickered in the crowd, and for the love of everything holy, Arthur couldn’t figure out why.

“Dragon,” Uther glared at the crowd, which seemed to glare back.

“Bird!” Aithusa squeaked from some closet in the castle.

“Dragon.” Uther tried again, hopelessly trying to convince anyone from the crowd.

Lord Owen shook his head, “Bird.”

“Dragon?” Uther tried one last time.

“BIRD!” the whole room chanted. Uther sheathed his sword and sat down, and the room seemed to breathe of relief.

“Bird it is, then,” Uther grumbled, sipping his wine.

Arthur looked at Merlin, who smiled so hard that Arthur would’ve kissed him right there. At least something good came out of this.


End file.
